WORCESTER gained two new priests last recently with the ordination of Gilly Maxim and Tim O’Leary at Worcester Cathedral.
Gilly serving in the Worcester City West Team and Tim serving at All Saints, Deansway.
They joined nine other candidates who were ordained to serve in parishes across the diocese by the Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverend Martin Gorick who is also currently the Acting Bishop of Worcester.
Seven candidates have completed their first year of in-parish training and were ordained priests in the cathedral on June 28 and are now able to preside at the holy communion.
Reflecting on her ordination, Gilly, who works as a prison chaplain in HMP Hewell, said: “I am part of a dedicated multi-faith chaplaincy team and the experience of working with leaders of other faiths, as well as working with and supporting prisoners of faith and no faith is enriching, challenging, rewarding, exhausting and seeing God at work there is utterly inspiring.
“I can’t begin to imagine what next year will bring but I am open to all that God will call me to be and do, and I pray that I will respond obediently and in a way that benefits his kingdom and mission.”
Tim added: “Now, as I’m an ordained priest, I step more fully into that work. Not to fix or rescue, but to continue holding out what’s always been true – that God is the one who restores.
“Only now I get to do that through the sacraments too – to bless, to baptise, to break bread and share the cup. To stand at what feels, to me, like God’s workbench — a place where grace gets to work on what’s broken, and beauty begins to return.
“If I can help people find their way to that space, again and again — then I’m right where I want to be.”
A further four candidates were ordained deacon on June 29 and are entering their first year of training as a curate.
The Revd Canon Dr Richard Cooke, former principal of the Coventry Diocesan Training Partnership and now rector of the Ilmington Downs and Stour Valley Parishes in the Diocese of Coventry, preached at both services having led a pre-ordination retreat for all candidates.
Bishop Martin said: “It is always a great privilege to be able to ordain people who have discovered the love of God in their lives and have decided to devote themselves to bringing that love to others.
“All these candidates will be a blessing to the churches in which they serve as well as the wider community.”
